JUBA, South Sudan (AP) 鈥� Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed on Monday when armed men ambushed a patrol traveling to a remote area of , according to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
Others injured in the attack by unidentified people included three peacekeepers, two members of the South Sudanese police and two civilian staff of the mission, UNMISS said in a statement.
The mission said it had deployed a 鈥淨uick Reaction Force鈥� to secure the area and support the emergency response after the attack. The patrol was going to the area of Pajut in the state of Jonglei when it came under attack.
鈥淪uch deadly violence targeting UNMISS personnel who are serving to support peace in South Sudan is unacceptable,鈥� Anita Kiki Gbeho, the head of UNMISS, said in the statement.
The identities and nationalities of the two peacekeepers killed were not immediately disclosed.
is rampant in South Sudan, where government troops have been combating fighters and militias loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, who was suspended last year as vice president after he says are politically motivated. Attacks against peacekeepers are rare.
A 2018 peace deal between President Salva Kiir and Machar, who is under house arrest, has , leading to fears of a return to full-blown civil war.
and assets were reported between January and July, more than double the number recorded during the same period last year, according to U.N. figures.
The conflict escalated in December when opposition forces seized government outposts in Jonglei. The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.
The U.S. has urged talks between Kiir and Machar. Earlier this year it called for 鈥渦rgent action to uphold peace and mitigate the risk of civil war through an immediate return to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 peace agreement.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
